Archive for the ‘Cool stuff’ Category

I was out behind the garage last December early one morning, clanking around getting ready to drag the trash bin to the street. I turned around and something caught my eye… this guy was sitting on top of our basketball hoop, not 20 feet away from me. I think he’s a Harris hawk - notable as they are one of the few birds of prey which hunt cooperatively. This was one of four which we had seen around the neighborhood last fall. We once watched them hunt as a team, which is remarkable as they take turns sharing their catch – one will hold the victim in a talon and one or more will eat, then they switch off.

In any event, he (or she) was watching me closely but clearly didn’t see me as a threat. I slowly backed into the garage, then ran to grab my camera and threw on a 270mm zoom lens. He had the patience to wait around for me to snap five or six quick shots, then bored with my presence, lazily took flight. What a magnificent bird! I estimate he stood at least a foot or more tall and had an impressive wingspan. There are lots of quail, small desert bunnies, pigeons and other birds around for them to feed on, and they have adapted well to life in the middle of 3 million-plus people.